


Potentially Ever After

by PhoenixSyndrome



Series: Smitten Kittens [1]
Category: Carmilla (Web Series)
Genre: F/F, Vampire!Laura
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-18
Updated: 2015-08-18
Packaged: 2018-04-15 08:17:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,291
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4599495
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PhoenixSyndrome/pseuds/PhoenixSyndrome
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which Carmilla forgets to tell Laura a few important things about transitioning into vampirism.</p><p>I'll be taking prompts for this vamp!Laura au at phoenixsyndrome.tumblr.com :D</p>
            </blockquote>





	Potentially Ever After

**Author's Note:**

> A few days ago, I sent a headcannon to ukulelekatie on tumblr, and it inspired me to write this.

“So, you’re positive that you want to do this?” Carmilla held Laura’s wrist delicately in her fingers, rubbing her thumb across the veins that popped out against Laura’s skin.

Laura nodded confidently, “I do.”

Carmilla swallowed thickly. It wasn’t supposed to be easy, deciding to become a vampire. Yet Laura looked at her so expectantly, with stars and love in her eyes like she trusted Carmilla with anything—and she probably did. It made Carmilla’s still heart feel heavy, and her fingers were gripping Laura’s wrist a bit too tight. “It’s—it’s permanent, Laura. Once it’s done, you can’t go back.”

When warmer fingers slid over hers, Carmilla nearly jerked her hands away. “I know. I’ve made up my mind, Carm.” Laura’s voice was soft and soothing. Hearing how confident she seemed to be about it put Carmilla at ease a little.

Her thumb rubbed across Laura’s veins. A lively pulse throbbed inside of Laura’s wrist, and Carmilla felt uneasy again. Turning someone into a vampire was just about the worst thing a person could do, and here Laura was begging for it. Her nerves got the better of her, and Carmilla tried again to talk her out of it, “Your friends—they’ll all grow old and die without you, and—”

“I know, Carmilla. I know.” Laura pulled her wrist away, her hands went up to hold Carmilla’s cheeks. Carmilla couldn’t ignore how warm Laura’s hands felt against her skin, and she tried not to shake. “I’ve considered everything, and I’ve made my decision. I’m absolutely sure that I want to do this.” Then Laura pressed her forehead against Carmilla’s, “I want to be with you.”

Carmilla couldn’t help but smile at her, despite how scared she felt. “If you say so, creampuff.”

“I do say so.” Laura leaned in and pulled Carmilla in with her, and she pressed a kiss against Carmilla’s lips. It lingered for probably a bit longer than Laura intended, and Carmilla didn’t want it to end. 

Of course she would continue to love Laura after she would be turned. Nothing could ever make her stop, and she was sure that not much aside from the obvious would change about Laura—but what if Laura changed her mind? What if, when Laura finally began to see an error in her decision, she began to resent Carmilla?  
Finally, Laura pulled away, smirking, “Last kiss as a mortal.” Her fingertips glided against Carmilla’s jawline.

A small smile pulled across Carmilla’s lips, but it was genuine. As scared as she was, a future of eternally being with Laura was more than appealing. Was it likely though? That was what terrified her. “You ready?”

Laura offered Carmilla her wrist again, returning her smile. “As I ever will be.” Carmilla gently held Laura’s wrist and brought it, veins facing up, to her mouth. Her fangs extended, and the tips pricked against Laura’s skin. She felt Laura tense, and instantly pulled back, panicked. “I’m fine! I’m fine, I just,” Laura shook her head, “Just—bracing myself for the bite. I’ve never done this before.”

Silently Carmilla nodded, then went back to work. She bared her fangs with a hissing sigh, then, quick as a flash, she sunk her teeth into Laura’s wrist. She heard Laura suck in a breath, felt her instinctively try to pull her arm away from the pain. When she was lost in the sweet taste of Laura’s blood, she heard Laura ask if it’s meant to burn like that.  
Carmilla held onto her for a while, her fangs sheathed beneath Laura’s flesh. She let go after she felt a chill pulse through Laura’s blood, grazing her tongue along the bloody would as she went. Laura was covered in goosebumps. “And there we have it.” Carmilla rasped, dazed and still tasting Laura’s blood on her tongue.

“What did you do?” Laura rubbed the puncture marks. Already the skin around them was starting to pale.

“I injected a venom into you. It’s a thing that vampires can do.” She saw Laura gawk at her, speechless, for a moment before she continued, “Don’t look at me like that. There’s a lot about vampires that don’t adhere to most lore that humans have set for us.” 

Laura cast her gaze down at the bite wound again. “How long will it take? The transition, I mean.”

“Could be days, could be hours.” Carmilla went over to the minifridge and fished out her box of chilled blood. “I’ve heard of some people turning in a matter of minutes.” She was actually one of those people. She wondered if Laura would be too, if her already blackening veins were any indication. “You probably should move around too much, cupcake. The process can be as simple as your body just going cold, but if you move around too much it can get—uncomfortable.” 

Carmilla was chugging her carton of blood. When she returned the Laura’s bed, she found her laying perfectly still, staring at the blackening marks on her wrist. She sat with Laura, taking another swig of the blood when Laura suddenly piped up, “Hey, you injected me with the venom. You marked me right?” Laura waited a beat before continuing, “Does that mean we’re—uh, mates now?”

Carmilla nearly choked on the blood.

=+=

It was close to an hour later when Carmilla could feel Laura’s body growing colder against her. She had to admit, she’d miss how warm Laura’s body was, but she was looking forward to the many years they’d spend together.

Carmilla laid with Laura through the transformation. In that time, Laura remained extraordinarily fascinated by the bite marks Carmilla had left on her wrist. She poked, prodded, and rubbed the marks. The room was silent, save for the turning pages of Carmilla’s book. Then Laura’s breathing, even and steady, filled the room as her body sank heavily against Carmilla’s. 

Alarmed, Carmilla turned to check on Laura, and found that she had just fallen asleep. Her gaze softened, and Carmilla threaded her fingers through Laura’s hair, enjoying the softness of the locks between her fingers. She set the book aside and slid down in the bed, tucking Laura beneath her chin and holding her close.  
Of course Laura would fall asleep during a literal-life-altering transition. Carmilla hadn’t realized it was such a tiring experience. A chuckle rumbled in her throat, and Laura stirred a bit, calming when Carmilla soothed a hand down her back. 

Carmilla closed her eyes. 

=+=

“Carmilla? Carm, please wake up.”

Breathing in deep, Carmilla’s eyes opened and she blinked away the sleep. It felt like a rock was sitting on her chest. She slid her hands up, her fingers made contact with a fuzzy piece of cloth. Her hands traveled further up, sliding beneath a soft, smooth shirt and touching chilled skin that flexed beneath her touch. “Oh. Hey, cupcake. Why are you awake?”  
The weight on her chest eased as Laura swung herself off of Carmilla’s just and settled against the bed. “I was just—I don’t know.” Concerned, Carmilla pushed herself up, waiting for Laura’s answer, “I think I’m hungry? Or thirsty. It’s like both, but also neither. I’m not sure what it is--“ 

“Okay, okay, calm down.” The bed creaked as Carmilla stood up and made her way over to the mini fridge again. She returned with a bag of blood, opening up the nozzle. She took an experimental sip to test the blood, make sure it wasn’t sour. “I guess we slept through your transition. Here,” she offered Laura the blood bag.  
She watched for a few minutes as Laura took the bag and examined it curiously, nervously. Laura gave her a wary look, as if she considered everything about being a vampire except the blood drinking part. Carmilla nudged her with her elbow, urging her on. Laura sighed, then latched her lips onto the nozzle and took a sip, gauging its taste. After a moment of consideration, she lifted the bag upside down, guzzling the blood until half the bag was done before stopping. “Wow. I never thought Type 0 would taste so good.” Laura chuckled. Blood was dripping form the corner of her mouth, and stained her teeth when she smiled. 

Carmilla chuckled and reached up, thumbing a droplet of blood away from Laura’s mouth. “See? Not so bad.” Laura’s hand came up to hold Carmilla’s, then turned her face to kiss Carmilla’s fingers. “So, no regrets yet?”

“Nope. Not yet.”

Warmth spread in Carmilla’s chest. Her captured hand cupped Laura’s cheek and pulled her in for a kiss.

=+=

It was about a week later that they decided to go out for the first time. It was also around this time that Carmilla realized she had neglected to tell Laura everything about transitioning into the vampire lifestyle.

Laura had surprised Carmilla with a picnic. Carmilla had come into the dorm that Thursday afternoon, carrying plastic bags filled with cookies and grape soda, and found Laura standing in the middle of the dorm carrying a picnic basket and smiling ear to ear. 

They left for the park minutes later with linked arms.

Smiling and laughing, Carmilla so dutifully escorted Laura out to the park. It was overcast that day, with only just a few breaks in the clouds where the clear blue could shine through. “So, when will I be able to turn into an animal, like you?”

“Hmm?” Carmilla was in the middle of laying the picnic blanket down, smoothing it out before setting the picnic basket down.

“You can turn into a panther. I was wondering if I could do that too.” Laura sat on her knees on the blanket and Carmilla glances up at her. The look on Laura’s face was precious; big hopeful eyes, a small expectant smile. Clearly she was excited to be able to transform into some predatory creature.

Carmilla only shrugs nonchalantly, “Not sure. Could take a few weeks, or even a few years. Every vampire is different, babe.”

“Is everything really so unpredictable or are you just being an ass?”

“Could be a bit of both. You’ll never know until later, cutie.” Carmilla flashed a smile at Laura, then patted the space next to her as she continued, “You’re so far away. Come sit next to me, it’ll be warmer.”

Laura did, and they dug into their basket. They had only just begun eating when there was a large break in the clouds, and the sun began to shine through. Carmilla felt her neck heat up under the sun’s rays, and the smile she was wearing fell instantly. She smelled burning flesh, and suddenly Laura was shrieking.

Panicked, Carmilla whipped off her leather jacket and tossed it over Laura’s head to keep the sun away. She pulled Laura up and, leaving their picnic behind, she guided Laura quickly to a larger patch of shade. It took longer than Carmilla wanted—the park was strangely vacant of trees. Eventually she found an unattended lunch table with a parasol and stuck Laura into its shade and began to search her for injuries.

“Goddamnit,” Carmilla muttered frantically, seeing several second-degree sunburns blistering the bare skin on Laura’s arms, neck and face, as well as her chest. “Laura, I am so sorry! God, I should have remembered this…”

“What happened? You can go out into the sun.”

Carmilla gingerly touched the blotchy, red and bubbled skin where the burns were at their worst. They looked so painful. Carmilla’s teeth ground together, and tears were pricking her eyes. “I—I forgot. Newborn vampires are abhorrently sensitive to the sun. They grow out of it within the decade of their transition.”

“God, really? That sucks.” Laura sucked in a breath through her teeth as she fingered one of the burns on her arm. “Geez. When do these go away?”

“Uh,” Carmilla’s throat was tight as she tried not to cry. “A few days. It’s not as serious as it looks. Or feels,” she added when Laura gasped in pain at Carmilla’s wary touch. “Come on. Let me get you home.” Carmilla yanked the parasol out of its slot and, after listening to a few protesting, lecturing words from Laura about stealing, walked her back to their dorm. She promised to return the parasol later.

=+=

“Don’t look so guilty,” Laura said, laying against Carmilla’s chest. Wet towels were placed over her sunburns. “It isn’t your fault. Going out was my idea.”  
Carmilla was silent, focusing on her book. She was trying hard to ignore the smell of Laura’s burnt skin.

“Hey.” With a sigh, Carmilla put down her book. It thumped too loudly in the silence of the dorm. “I don’t blame you.”

“Yeah, well, I do. I should have known that this would happen, and I should have told you right from the start. But I forgot. And now look, you’re all—burnt up! You can’t go out in the sun for ten years, at least. And, god, Laura, I’ve made the stupidest mistake ever just agreeing to make you a vampire.” Carmilla’s hand came up to cover her eyes, to hide the tears threatening to spill over, but she couldn’t hide the sniffles and her shaky breaths. 

Laura’s weight lifted off of her, and the bed creaked as Laura shifted around. “Carm.” A hand touched her wrist, and Carmilla jerked away from it. “Hey…” The same hand pried Carmilla’s away from her face. Laura was smiling at her, and Carmilla didn’t have any doubt that the burns on Laura’s face hurt her to smile. “I don’t regret becoming a vampire. I don’t think I ever will,” Laura’s hand came up to touch the tear tracks on Carmilla’s face, and she nearly flinched away from Laura’s touch. “Because I have you here with me. And in the end, that’s all I ever need. Okay?” 

Taking in a calming breath, Carmilla sighed slowly and nodded. She didn’t trust her voice enough to speak. She felt Laura’s lips against hers suddenly, and the warmth of them soothed Carmilla’s anxiety. When Laura pulled back, Carmilla managed to husk out a small “Okay,” in response.

=+=

Carmilla’s reading time was interrupted when Laura slammed the dorm room door. “Carmilla Karnstein.”

She sighed, closing the book around her thumb and tilting her head back to look at Laura, “Yes, mother?”

The sarcastic remark was ignored as Laura rounded the small bookcase and leaned over Carmilla’s bed, her hands on either side of Carmilla’s shoulders, bracing herself. “You promised me you’d take that parasol back.” It seemed like Laura was trying to burn Carmilla with her gaze, but Carmilla only looked at her indifferently. “It’s been a week.”

“Oh no, did I forget to do that?” Carmilla stretched her back, her arms lifting up above her head. They came to rest around Laura’s neck, attempting to pull her in, “You should punish me.”

“Carm.” Laura pulled back, out of the embrace. “You need to return it. Now. It’s too sunny outside for me to do it.”

Instantly Carmilla looked at the residual burn marks on Laura’s face and chest. They weren’t painful anymore, so Laura said, but it was taking longer than expected to completely fade. Without further complaint, Carmilla stood up and grabbed the parasol, which was sitting against the wall by the door. “I’ll be back,”

It was only a thirty minute walk to the park and back. Carmilla had stopped to pick up a few extra blood packets for her and Laura to snack on before heading back to the dorm.  
She nudged the door open with her shoulder and came in, kicking it closed before she realized that Laura wasn’t in the room anymore. The bathroom door was closed, so Carmilla assumed she was using the toilet or in the shower, and she flopped onto her back on her bed. She’s sucking down one of the packets of blood when she felt a tuck at the elbow of her jacket.

When she pulled her arm up, there was a pop and whatever resistance was there was now gone. Carmilla checked, and fumed when she saw a hole in her expensive leather jacket. She mumbled a quiet swear and hopped off of the bed. There was nothing on the floors but Carmilla’s dirty laundry, and nothing that could have torn Carmilla’s jacket, so she knelt down to check under the beds.

Her hand pressed flat against the floor, close to the underneath of her own bed. Before she could bend down to check, a large paw darted out and swatted the back of her hand before quickly retreating back under the bed. Confused, Carmilla reached beneath the bed, searching for the owner of the paw. She seized something fluffy by the skin of its neck, and she pulled it out.

A bobcat. There was a small, spotted, russet-brown bobcat beneath her bed. It was covered in dust, from its stubby tail to the tip of its snuffling nose. Carmilla’s face broke out into a gleeful grin. “Laura?” 

The bobcat’s neck craned up in response, and it patted Carmilla’s nose with its soft paw pads. It wriggled out of Carmilla’s hold and sat between her legs, rubbing its cheek against her neck and purring loudly.

“Oh, my god. You’re a bobcat.” Carmilla scratched Laura’s neck, “You’re not even that big, either. How unsurprising.” 

Laura’s now-amber eyes seemed to glare at her, and again swatted at Carmilla with a fuzzy paw, not bothering to use her claws. Definitely Laura. Carmilla chortled, catching Laura’s paws and rubbing between her fuzzy fingers, “What is it you call my paw pads? Toe beans?” A low, warning growl rumbled in Laura’s chest, but Carmilla continued. Her voice raised an octave as she began to tease, “Aw, are you grumpy, Laura? Who’s a big grumpy kitty now?” Laura twisted out of Carmilla’s hold and hopped out of her reach, curling in on herself. “Aw, I’m sorry, baby.”

Carmilla stood and walked over to Laura, who curled tighter, continuing to snuffle and growl indignantly.

“I probably should have told you. For the next few weeks or so, your transformations will be random. The ability to transform can’t be taught, so you’re going to have to learn to control them yourself. Sorry, cupcake.” 

When Laura wouldn’t move from the corner, Carmilla rolled her eyes. Rolling her shoulders back, Carmilla hunkered down, feeling her body change in a split second. She prodded Laura’s fur with a big, black paw, and when Laura didn’t react, Carmilla rubbed her cheek against the top of her head, purring loudly. 

Eventually Laura returned her affections, rubbing her head against Carmilla’s chin. They settled down on the floor, Laura laying across Carmilla’s front legs, and Carmilla rested her chin across Laura’s tiny back. Carmilla fell asleep that way, taking comfort in the purrs Laura was emitting.

=+=

The evening started with Laura’s human-again body flailing and tangling around Carmilla’s own panther body. She heard Laura swear up and down as she struggled to stand, eventually freeing herself from Carmilla’s furry body. “God. I swear. This is going to be the worst part of being a newborn vampire. What am I supposed to do for class? I can’t just suddenly turn into a fucking bobcat in the middle of a lecture. How would the professor react? I should have waited to ask you until summer, I knew I should have. I have the worst timing!”

Laura continued to rant and rave, and Carmilla shifted back into her human form and stretched her limbs out. She watched Laura angrily chug down her blood carton and toss the container away once it was empty. 

Carmilla bit her lip, trying to contain her smile. A potential eternity with this dork was something to definitely look forward to.


End file.
